“Astronomers are exploring what might be described as the first astronomical observing tool, potentially used by prehistoric humans 6,000 years ago. They suggest that the long, narrow entrance passages to ancient stone, or ‘megalithic,’ tombs may have enhanced what early human cultures could see in the night sky, an effect that could have been interpreted as the ancestors granting special power to the initiated.”

And, for those interested, here’s the link to the original Royal Astronomical Society press release. Be advised however, it’s the same text, but you have to click on the two picture links in order to view them:

I found the following quote from the article to be especially interesting:

‘… the researchers are adamant that this was not a one-off model. While such mechanisms depicting sophisticated astronomical models may have not been plentiful during this epoch, they were known among the Greco-Roman intelligentsia of the day.

“And the one we have was obviously not the first to be made,” said Jones. “ It is too complicated; too miniature to have been the prototype.”’

I believe interest in the Antikythera Mechanism has continued to grow as researchers have published more and more of their findings. Back in the ‘80s, the device had been placed all the way in the back of The National Archaeological Museum of Athens. If you weren’t looking at every single exhibit item, or specifically looking for the device, you could have walked right past it without noticing it. However, when I visited the museum a few years ago, it had been relocated to the front and center of the main entrance.

This site contains a short, but interesting, video clip of the layout of Stonehenge.

Here’s a quotation from the site:

‘The Stonehenge monument in England is known for its alignment with the summer solstice sunrise, and a is popular destination for revelers welcoming the longest day of the year. The inner “horseshoe” of the monument opens toward the point on the horizon where the sun appears on the day in June when the sun’s path is furthest North.

But on the same axis, in the opposite direction, is the point on the horizon where the sun sets on the winter solstice. And some experts suspect that the midwinter alignment may have been the more important occasion for the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge.’